Can I replace insulation in door only?

Hi - I understand that you recently had something heavy drop ontop of your freezer door. From my experience the condensation does typically indicate poor door seal. When cold air and warm air outside is entering into the freezer it causes condensation. Try checking and see if the door seal is bad; place a dollar bill between the body of the freezer and close the door. The dollar bill should stay in place and pull out with a small amount of resistance. If the dollar bill falls out when placed between the gasket and cabinet double check to see if the door is being blocked by anything stopping it from closing it. If nothing is stopping the door from closing then I suggest contacting your manufacturer and see who they recommend to repair the unit. Hope this helps! JK

Hello;

My name is Peter. I am a retired field service refrigeration technician.

1.) Due you have the freezer in your garage? Freezers and refrigerators are not designed for the drastic temperature change through the seasons. If you had a service contract, your contract would be canceled.

2.) If you can run a piece of paper between the top door gasket and the freezer body you do not have a tight seal. Repair - Recondition the gasket. Wet the door gasket with water, with a hairy dryer heat the gasket while genteelly pulling the gasket out to expand with a spatula.

3.) If the gasket is good, then you are getting moisture either thru the top front of the unit or the top of the door.
a.) Inspect the liner where the ice build-up is. Are there cracks? Repair - Seal cracks with a good silicone adhesive.
b.) Inspect the upper door section and the front top of the freezer for possible leaks in the joints. Here again seal with adhesive.
c.) If the top of the door is expanded, then you have moisture in the door and need to replace the door. You will never get the moisture out of the insulating material.

Hi - From what you have described it sounds like the freezer has a poor door seal. When cold air and warm air outside is entering it causes condensation. Try checking and see if the door seal is bad; place a dollar bill between the body of the freezer and close the door. The dollar bill should stay in place and pull out with a small amount of resistance. If the dollar bill falls out when placed between the gasket and cabinet double check to see if the door is being blocked by anything stopping it from closing it. If nothing is stopping the door from closing then I suggest contacting your manufacturer and see who they recommend to repair the unit.

If you replaced your door gasket and your absolutely sure that its sealing properly, then it might not be coming from your door. Ice builds up when warm air enters the fridge and the condensation freezes inside the freezer. The biggest suspect for warm air entering into the fridge is a faulty door gasket. However there can be another cause. If you remove the back panel of your freezer you should be exposed with the wires that come into the freezer and power the different components inside. The entrance point were the wires come in is insulated with a type of clay that prevents moisture from entering. However if this clay becomes loose it is possible for moisture to enter and start icing up. If you can remove the panel yourself safely without hurting yourself or damaging the fridge i recommand trying this first. If you don't feel comfortable doing this i recommand having a service technician taking a look at it. Hope this helps.

James Memije
Head Technician
Accufix Appliance Service Centre

oh wow . i have the same freezer with same exact problem. i bought it brand new. i can definately see the seal on top is not installed properly. i always thought it was only my freezer but i guess its a manufacturing issue.

The most important thing is to make sure the new seal is warmed up to room temperature so it is soft and workable. Since the seal on mine is attached to the top door there is nothing to gain by leaving the door attached. Working upside down would leave the door open longer than just taking it off.

If you still have food in the freezer just put blankets over the top until the door is back on. If you have screws holding the seal it will go much easier. Mine has plastic pins that break easily pulling them out.

Get the edges as straight as possible to avoid leaks.

you probably have an air leak. if the gasket is bad it needs to be replaced. Air could also be coming in through the door flap if you have water and ice dispensor on door

Hi, It sounds like the door gasket is not sealing properly. Look on all sides of the door and see if there are any openings between the seal and the cabinet.
Sometimes the door can get twisted and not seal proper. If there is an area not sealing, try readjusting the door for a better fit.
I hope this helps you. Please let me know if I can assist you further.

Vic

If the door seals are still pliable and intact there are two possible causes.

1/ The upper door hinge on the top of freezer unit has two adjusting screws under a plastic cover/cap which allows the upper hinge to be set forward or back altering/adjusting the spacing of the door seal to the freezer body. Moving the hinge outward at the top will cause the door to seal tighter at the bottom and lessen escaping cold air and condensation to form (water droplets). Adjust carefully so as not to create a weak seal (air gap) along other sealing edges of the door frame.

2/ Many United Refrigeration Commercial Freezers are manual defrosting. Moisture from inside the freezer can condense between the inner molded door panel (door shelves) and the exterior metal door. Usually ice buildup will occur in this space, but when defrosting or during high ambient temps the ice will melt and drip out along the bottom door edge/seal. Screws alomg the door frame (hidden by the door seal) hold the seal in place and also the inner molded door panel. The inner panel can be removed to replace the seal or to remove the ice buildup.

The door seal is at fault. Regardless of the small tear it is not sealing well.
Take a dollar bill and close it in the door. Then pull on the bill to feel resistance.
You will find it pulls easily in some place. That is where your air leak is that is causing the condensation.
Do this about every 6 inches all the way around the seal.